The Upholstery Forum

Since I do a lot of wood fabrication building custom audio systems and interior parts. Using a router machine on small detailed parts can get a little dangerous getting fingers so close to the router bit. Also the time to cut template shapes, tape them down, rough cut and then router is time consuming. Working with various other plastic and acrylic materials for a quality finish without marking up and having to go back and sand edges. So I decided it was time to get a laser cutter/ engraving machine. Can engrave and cut on all types of materials. Which I will use the laser in some Upholstry work, engraving logos and designs into the material. The other piece of equipment is a 24” pan brake for bending sheet metal and aluminum. Will help with making various types of brackets that’s needed in many of the installation for mounting electrical components to the vehicle.

I envy you the pan brake. I have needed a four foot one for years but never turned loose of the money.

I admit to being frugal but adamantly deny being cheap!

John

John Long wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:25 pm I envy you the pan brake. I have needed a four foot one for years but never turned loose of the money.

I admit to being frugal but adamantly deny being cheap!

John

Yeah this will come in handy in day to day jobs for me. Took me a year to break down and finally buy one ($400). But I had a job last week that i needed custom brackets for to mount a enclosure in the rear area of the vehicle. Hand bending , mallet cut and shaped took a few hours. Never again, so I ordered one from amazon shipped to the door. Then I got a $140 discount since a slight damage happen during shipping, which was only cosmetic and you can’t even see it. Final cost $260 for a $400 unit. I had no desire to find a cheap lower quality one, glad I made the purchase.

I have a vinyl plotter that can be used for advanced designs. Design ideas on computer and draw patterns on paper to transfer to fabric.

Love it!

Nice, I’ve been wanting a break for years but have limited space for one. The laser should be a cool machine to use, what are they worth?

Revv Up wrote: ↑Sun Oct 27, 2019 2:48 pm Nice, I’ve been wanting a break for years but have limited space for one. The laser should be a cool machine to use, what are they worth?

Yeah this brake can bend up to 24” in length. Perfect size for me to use in shop for the jobs I work on. The laser is pretty awesome! It can do many jobs outside of what I bought it for. Which can cut or engrave within 12” x 20”. I got the plus version which is the middle one. Cost on those are $3750 with a discount code ($250 savings) I like it so far, works great. Down the road I will definitely be getting a larger commercial style like a Boss laser when I have the space. Works for what I do now. Here are a few things I made. Can even engrave on this piece of leather without issue.

thats so cool!

John wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:56 am thats so cool!

Still learning on how to make design files. Getting the hang of it. There are so many software options out there to use. Some free and some very expensive. I use a free one right now (Inkscape) to make SVG files to cut. For engraving all you need is a jpeg, png, or pdf file. Cutting out text, shapes on lines need to be svg file. Requires converting

Whats the name of the machine you bought?

John wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:15 pm Whats the name of the machine you bought?

Glowforge plus model. They sell a Basic, Plus and Pro.
www.glowforge.com